Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Smoky Potato, Corn, and Poblano Chowder with the Blogger CLUE Society

I had such a great time hanging out with old blogging friends and meeting new ones in the first round of the Blogger CLUE Society, that I could hardly wait for the next assignment! This month, we were asked to make a recipe from our partner's blog that our grandmother would've made. I was thrilled to draw Christiane's fabulous blog, Taking on Magazines. I've known Christiane ever since I started blogging years ago and it's been so much fun getting to know her family (especially Dudette!) and her cooking.

In perusing her blog to find the recipe I'd recreate, I came across so many of her old posts that I loved when I read them the first time around. If you enjoy hilarious stories served alongside some delicious recipes from your favorite magazines, you really need to be following Christiane's blog. And speaking of delicious recipes, I had the hardest time choosing one my grandmother would make especially because my grandma was a feisty, beautiful, and very strong-willed lady. I kept thinking the recipe had to be just perfect because she was a pretty perfect lady.

One of the things I loved about my grandma was that she was an adventurous foodie! When all the other kids were eating standard Pakistani fare, my grandma introduced me to things like sandwiches slathered with mayo (gosh, she loved her mayo), decadent cakes layered with rich frosting (for she was a lady that did not believe in diets), and the most amazing range of soups. From chicken noodle to gazpacho, my grandma was a firm believer that a nice meal always started out with a bowl of soup. And so when I happened on Christiane's recipe for Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder, I knew my grandmother would approve!

As soon as I saw the recipe, I wanted to have the soup in my belly as soon as possible so I had to work with the ingredients I had. I wanted to at least have a potato, corn, and green element and so, the Smoky Potato, Corn, and Poblano Chowder was born! This soup is perfect for a first course or a hearty meal and comes together really quickly, especially if you have some of the ingredients prepared ahead of time. During the summer months when fresh corn on the cob is plentiful, I always buy extra, grill 'em up, cut off the kernels, and freeze them for later. If you don't have grilled corn kernels ready to go, you can use frozen corn kernels, thawed, and grilled on a pan. I'm also a huge fan of poblano peppers and always have them on hand and if you've never come across one, you need to pay a visit to your local Mexican grocery store, like now!

And while this chowder is fantastic especially in the winter months, you better believe I've added some sweet potatoes, corn, and kale to my next grocery list for my next chowder.

Boil potatoes until fork tender and drain. In the same pot, melt butter and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add potatoes and stock and bring to a boil.

Grill corn on the cob over direct flame until corn is charred in spots. Slice kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife. If you are using frozen corn kernels, thaw, drain completely, and in a separate pan, toast corn until charred in spots. Add the corn to the soup pot and lower the heat to simmer.

Grill poblano pepper over direct flame until charred in spots. Place charred pepper in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. Then, peel the skin off the pepper, dice the pepper, and add it to the soup pot.

Add the milk one cup at a time to the soup pot. Once all the milk is added, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until the soup has the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

I have a feeling that your grandmother and my grandmother would have gotten along famously. They both loved soups, among other similar qualities. This soup looks gorgeous and I'm sure I would love it, too. :)

Loved reading about your grandma. Sounds like she was a very special and fun lady! And this soup is easy to love...hot, sweet, creamy, hearty! Yum! I've got frozen corn all the time but I better remember to grill fresh corn and freeze some like you!

Aaw your grandmother sounded like an amazing and special lady! Love how thick and hearty this chowder is! It looks so comforting and full of flavor and would definitely warm me up during these cold nights!

I'm wishing I had thrown some corn in the freezer for a big bowl of this. I'm liking this CLUE thing, hopefully after the holidays are over I can get back on some sort of blogging schedule. Looking forward to Jan. Hope you and your sweet family have a Merry Christmas.-Gina-

Your grandma sounds like an absolutely amazing woman -- and I love that she slathered mayo on her sandwiches and introduced you to cakes with lots of frosting! This smoky chowder looks amazing, and we always have poblanos on hand so I can see myself making this as a hearty winter treat :)